Coupons: Cash In And Save

Many people are able to save 50% or more off their grocery bills by shopping with coupons. It takes more than just cutting the coupons out of the newspaper, or stashing them in a file box when they come in the mail. In order for you to get maximum savings from your coupons, you have to be organized. You also have to know what you need, and most importantly, what you will use.

First, get organized. Remove circulars from the newspapers and put them in a separate place. Do the Same thing with coupons that come in the mail, or that you have printed from online. Designate a specific time once or twice a week to do your coupons. When that time comes, they'll all be in the same place. Clip the ones you need and will use. Do keep the ones you won't, like pet food if you don't have pets, or brands that your family doesn't like. Give these to someone else that can use them. Do not use them yourself. Saving money on something is useless if your family won't eat it, and will end up in the trash anyway. Then sort them by category. It is best to do this in order of the way things appear in the store you go to for the bulk of your shopping. There are a million and one coupon organizers and file caddies available. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, just find one that works for you.

Most people will plan their shopping in the following order. First they plan their meals. Second they look through the circulars for items on sale. Third they pull their coupons. If you want to use coupons more efficiently, go backwards. If chicken breasts and stuffing are on sale and you have a coupon for stuffing, then chicken breasts and stuffing should be one of your meals that week. Plan your meals according to the savings available. Of course, for things that are nonperishable, or can be frozen and you have the space for them, can be stocked up on anytime. For these items, buy when they are on sale and you have a coupon for double savings.

Start a price book comparing the regular per unit price at different stores of items that you buy on a regular basis. This way you can be sure you are getting the best deal. This may take some time, but will save you big bucks in the long run.

One misconception that many people have is that buying in bulk is cheaper. When bulk items and warehouse stores first started, this was often true. Manufacturers and retailers have realized that most people have this mindset and now price smaller size items for less per unit, making a larger profit of people blindly buying the bulk size. Using coupons for these smaller sizes can end up saving you more per unit.

This is but a start to saving with coupons.

PLR